Mass marriages not only bring people from different categories and financially weaker sections together but also reduce their financial burden, H.K. Patil, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, said.
He was speaking after attending the mass marriage function at Navakal village in Manvi taluk of Raichur district to mark the 70th birthday of N.S. Bosraju, veteran Congress leader and MLC, on Monday. As many as 171 couples got married at the function.
Lauding the social work done by of Mr. Bosraju, Mr. Patil said that he had taken his advice when he was Water Resource Minister to implement irrigation projects.
Dinesh Gundurao, working president, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was encouraging the concept of mass marriages by extending financial aid to young couples. As many as 130 couples, out of the 171, would get ₹50,000 each from the government, he added.
Krishna Byre Gowda, Minister for Agriculture, and senior Congress Leader Basavaraj Patil Anwari also spoke and advised the couples and their families not to spend the additional money on other marriage ceremonies but save it for their future.
Various religious leaders attended the function and spoke the gathering about the importance of simple weddings. They said that politicians should organise mass marriages often to help the poor as the district was facing severe drought for past three years.
B.V. Naik, MP, Hamapayya Naik, Shiavaraj Patil, Sharanappa Mattur and Shivana Gowda Naik, legislators, M.P. Naga Gowda, Basavaraj Badarli and others were present.